Using Social Media for Employer Branding and Talent Management: An Experiential Study

The Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) contribute a large share to the Indian economy not only in terms of GDP but also in terms of their enormous ability of employment generation. Human resources form the very foundation of SMEs, and with increased competition it has become imperative to attract, hire, develop and retain the best talent across the industry. Employers need to style themselves well to attract the attention and commitment of the brightest employees. One of the latest and most effective avenues for communicating employer brand is the use of social media. Appreciating the growing relevance of social media in employer branding campaigns, this research aims at analyzing the perception regarding social media and employer attractiveness among the employees of Indian SMEs. Additionally, the study investigates the impact of social media on organizations’ employer branding efforts. A sample of 147 employees were selected from 20 small and medium IT firms situated in and around Chandigarh region. The findings reveal the firms’ perception of considering social media as an unsurpassed medium to attract and engage the existing and potential employees. The study reveals that the perceived dimensions of employer attractiveness, i.e., economic, application and social values, are the important factors that organizations should focus on while devising their employer branding campaigns. The study recommends that employers to introduce employer branding in their core strategic and marketing efforts to make their organization a desirable place to work.